


As Inexorable As The Tides

by ranguvar82



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Genderfluid Crowley (Good Omens), Human Crowley (Good Omens), M/M, aziraphale is a selkie, aziraphale is strong and crowley is here for it, crowley is a blushing mess around aziraphale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24082087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranguvar82/pseuds/ranguvar82
Summary: Aziraphale loved the coastal village of Tadfield. The people were nice, and the food was quite good. There were also books. The selkie loved books. Then one night, he meets a human, and finds himself more than a little enchanted.Crowley came to Tadfield to get away from everything. He's expecting to be left alone. He's not expecting to meet a stranger on the beach, and he's not expecting for his world to turn inside out.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 76
Kudos: 128





	1. A Meeting and A Theft

As Inexorable As The Tides

Chapter One: A Meeting and A Theft

Aziraphale rather liked the small coastal village of Tadfield. The people were nice enough(most made their living as fishermen or depended in some way on the ocean), the food in the few restaurants was quite above par, and best of all, there was a bookshop! Aziraphale loved to read, a hobby that drew scorn and derision from most of his family. He had a whole cave full of books down by the shore, and on rainy nights he loved nothing more than to hole up in the cave, light a fire, and lose himself in another world. Right now, he was reading a rather lovely book called Treasure Island. Aziraphale knew all about treasure. That was the strange shiny coins that he saw everywhere.

He shifted position, the seal skin underneath him crackling in warm familiarity. He was at a very gripping part of the story-Long John Silver had just mutinied, and now Jim was in danger-when he noticed a movement at the mouth of the cave. He froze. Oh Poseidon, what if it was Gabriel? His brother hated the surface world and could not understand why Aziraphale was so fascinated by it.

“Hello?” The voice was not Gabriel’s. Aziraphale watched, alert for danger, as a mortal man came into the cave, hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I uhh..was walking on the beach and saw your light. Do you...um...live here?”

In the glow of the fire, Aziraphale could see that he was very skinny and tall, with bright red hair. He wasn’t unpleasant to look at, as humans went. “No, I...uh...live somewhere else. This is just a...hideaway.” The human smiled, and Aziraphale felt a strange fluttery sensation.

“Yeah, know what that’s like. I’m sorta hiding too. M’name’s Crowley.” He stuck out a hand, and Aziraphale blinked for a moment before remembering the human custom.

“Aziraphale. I don’t recognize you from the village.”

Crowley laughed. “Nah, you wouldn’t, would you? I just moved in yesterday. That beat up cottage about a half mile down. Listen, Aziraphale?” A nod. “I’ve been on my feet all day. Could I..?”

“Oh! I’m so sorry, where are my manners? Please, sit.” He indicated a spot across from him, and the human sank onto the sand, legs crossed beneath him. Aziraphale shifted so the seal skin was completely hidden by his body. “So, what brings you here?”

“Told you, I saw the light and got curious.”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “Not to the cave. To Tadfield.”

Crowley stared into the flames. “Needed a change of scenery. What about you? Why’re you here?” Aziraphale pointed out at the ocean. “Oh, you fish?”

“Among other things, yes. But I like it here on the sur...umm, in the village because it’s...well, different. There’s just so much variety.”

Crowley snorted. “It’s a bloody one stop light village. They don’t even have a proper sushi restaurant.”

Aziraphale bristled. “Maybe not, but the food they do have is superb! There’s so much variety here! There’s meat, and vegetables, and fruit, apples! The apples are so delicious, and the sweet foods, and the drinks, the wine, the...the...all of it!” He made a sweeping gesture, and Crowley half smiled.

“Yeah, okay. Whatever you say. Bit of a foodie, are you?”

Aziraphale looked thoughtful. “I...suppose. But when you’ve spent most of your life eating fish and other sea creatures, one tends to appreciate new flavors even more.” Crowley looked curious. “My...family have a...strict diet.” Aziraphale did not mention that the fish was eaten raw(the first time he ever tried cooked meat he had thrown up, but quickly gotten used to the charred, smoky taste). He was very glad that the human could not see his sharp teeth.

Crowley stood, wiping sand off his jeans. “Welp, been great meeting you, but I should be getting back.”

Aziraphale stood, then said something that shocked him. “Could I walk you home?” Where had that come from? Crowley ducked his head, and Aziraphale swore he blushed. He scuffed his foot in the sand.

“Err...you don’t have to...”

“But I want to.” Aziraphale said, feeling shocked once again. He did want to. He wanted to...get to know this human. “I promise you, I can make it. Just let me douse my fire.” He poured sand on it, then dusted off his hands. His skin was well hidden, and it would be safe for the time being. “Lead the way, my dear.”

Crowley mumbled something under his breath and started down the beach, Aziraphale at his side. “What was that?”

“Don’t hafta call me ‘my dear’” Crowley said, trying and failing to look gruff. Aziraphale giggled.

“Noted, dear.” Crowley grumbled, but blushed deeper. “Have you ever lived by the ocean?”

“Nah. Used to go to the beach on hols with my Gran, but that was a real long time ago. Always loved it, though. Was the one place I could see the stars.”

Aziraphale looked up at the sky. “I know the feeling. Where I live, it is very hard to see the stars. I come here to take my fill. Do you know any of the constellations?”

Crowley nodded, then pointed at a cluster. “That’s Lyra, and...that one, that’s Taurus, and that one’s Ursa Major, better known as the Big Dipper, and...see that one, that really bright one?” Aziraphale nodded, fascinated. “That’s Alpha Centauri. It’s what’s called a binary star system. Two stars that look like one.” Crowley dropped his hand, embarrassed. “I, um, sorry, I tend to ramble a bit about the stars. Astronomy’s...kinda a hobby. You must think I’m incredibly boring.”

“I think you’re the most fascinating hu...person I’ve ever met.”

Even in the dim light, Aziraphale could see the wide grin that bloomed on Crowley’s face. “Really?” Aziraphale nodded, and Crowley blushed deeper, looking down at his bare feet. “Uh Ireallylikeyoutoowouldyouliketogooutsometime?”

“What?”

Crowley rubbed the back of his neck. “Um...sorry. Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

Aziraphale beamed. “I’d love to. How about Friday? Around seven?” That would give him enough time to get away from Gabriel and hide his skin. Crowley nodded so fast Aziraphale feared his head would fly off his shoulders.

“Yeah, sounds...great. It was, um...really nice meeting you. Anyway, um...this is me, so...” he pointed up the beach at a dilapidated cottage. “See you around.”

“Indeed. Goodnight, Crowley.”

Aziraphale returned to the cave, feeling happier than he had in a long, long time. He packed away his book and began to dig up his skin.

He was halfway through when he realized he was digging up nothing but sand. Frantic, he dug deeper. Nothing. “Okay, calm down. I just forgot where I buried it. It’s happened before. There’s not a lot of places it can be, the cave floor is stone further in. I just...” he looked down, and his eyes riveted on a groove in the sand.

A very familiarly shaped groove. The sort of groove made by dragging a wet, heavy seal skin across sand. And it was leading out from the cave.

Aziraphale’s blood went cold. “Oh... _ **fuck**_.”


	2. The Cold Light of Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale begins to search for his skin, Crowley is more than a little smitten, and a truth is not so much revealed as blurted out.

Chapter Two: The Cold Light of Day

Aziraphale’s cave looked like a bomb had gone off in it. There were books scattered everywhere, the trunk where he kept his stash of human clothing was turned out and the clothes strewn everywhere, and the sand floor was pocketed with holes. “I just misplaced it, that’s all. I did NOT see that groove last night. My eyes were playing tricks on me, that’s all. Easy enough thing to happen. It’s here, it’s got to be here!”

Aziraphale himself looked like the poster for insanity. His blue eyes were wide and panicked, his hair(which barely listened to him on good days) was sticking up everywhere, courtesy of frantic fingers being run through it, and he was covered from head to toe in sand. A wide, fixed grin was on his face. He had to find that skin!

He forced himself to stay still for a moment and thought. He was sure nobody in the village knew what he really was. It wasn’t like people believed in selkies in these modern times, anyway. Aziraphale was glad of that, as it had given him some measure of safety. At least until now. So who?

Crowley? Aziraphale dismissed that thought as quickly as it surfaced. There was no way in the seven oceans that the mortal could have doubled back to the cave without Aziraphale noticing. The selkie whimpered. What was he going to do?! He couldn’t go home, and the few bits of coin he had was enough to maybe purchase a meager meal, not to pay for any sort of long term lodgings.

‘Crowley would let you stay’. Aziraphale blinked at the thought. That was patently ridiculous. He’d met the man for less than an hour last night. Okay, so he had been more than a bit entranced by him, but that was probably just loneliness. Besides, it wasn’t as though he could go up to him and say, “My dear, I’m a selkie, someone stole my skin, and could I stay with you until it turns up again?” Crowley would at best think he was playing a trick and at worst think he was a lunatic.

But maybe, just maybe, he might have seen something. Anything. Aziraphale took a quick dip to wash off the sand, then pulled on a pair of dungarees and a shirt(a few very mortifying incidents from his first time ashore had quickly clued him in to the fact that humans went around clothed) and set off for Crowley’s cottage.

Crowley, in the meantime, was having a much better morning. He had gone to sleep with the vision of blue eyes, white blond hair, and a brilliant smile in his mind. Aziraphale. What a beautiful name. An angelic name, if Crowley remembered. Guard of the Eastern Gate of Eden.

Something was poking him. Crowley cracked open one eye, glaring at the russet cat that perched on his chest. “And what do you want?” The cat mowed loudly, and Crowley sighed, rubbing her behind the ears. “Yeah, I’m hungry too. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

They padded into the kitchen, and Crowley opened the fridge. “How’s eggs sound?” The cat purred, rubbing against his legs. “Glad you agree.” He found a pan and set to cooking, gazing around at the cottage. It was a bit rustic, but the water worked and the walls were more or less intact. And the view was spectacular. Crowley made himself a cup of coffee and looked out at the rolling tides.

But the best thing about the cottage was that it was very far away from the city and from his former coworkers. Crowley thought to himself that if he never saw them again it would be too soon.

He noticed someone walking along the beach. No doubt some health conscious villager out for a stroll to improve the lungs or some such rot like that. As the person got closer, though, Crowley recognized the white blond hair. A strange, giddy thought-’He’s coming to see me!’- rose in his chest, but he squashed it down. Aziraphale was probably just taking a stroll, enjoying the solitude.

Then Aziraphale turned up the grass path to Crowley’s cottage, and Crowley’s heart began pounding. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit okay, breathe, Anthony. Breathe. He’s probably going to the village for breakfast. Your path is the quickest way to the main road. He’s not coming here, he’s not...”

There was a knock on the door. Crowley yelped and nearly spilled his coffee. “Just a moment!” He shouted, praying that his voice didn’t crack. He turned off the oven(luckily he hadn’t started the eggs yet, they were still in the bowl waiting to be scrambled), ran frantic fingers through his hair to make it look somewhat presentable, then opened the door.

And had to grip the jamb hard to keep from swooning. Oh. Oh, Aziraphale was...gorgeous. He hadn’t really gotten a good look at him last night, but now. Oh. His eyes were the color of the ocean, his hair was snowy white and framed his head like a halo, and his arms had a light dusting of hair. Oh, the arms, and that chest! Even covered by the shirt he was wearing, Crowley could see the muscles. He had lovely plump thighs and, damn it, even his feet were adorable! His feet! Crowley worked his mouth a few times before finally managing to croak. “Ngk.”

“Hello! Remember me?” Aziraphale, unbeknownst to Crowley, was having very much the same reaction. This mortal was, well, quite lovely. His hair was a lovely red color, and his form showed that he had some muscle under the whipcord thinness, and his eyes were a remarkable shade of amber. “We met last night?”

Crowley’s brain was still very much in ‘pretty man is pretty’ mode, so it took him a bit to form coherent words. “Yeah. What’s up?”

Aziraphale twisted his hands. “Well, it’s...sort of a delicate matter. If I could come inside?” Crowley nodded, stepping aside. “Oh, thank you. Oh, what a lovely home!”

Crowley blushed. “Yeah, ‘s’not bad I guess. Oh, um...I was gonna make myself some scrambled eggs. Want some?” Aziraphale shook his head.

“No, thank you. Not a big fan of eggs. Listen, Crowley, I need to ask you something. Did you...see anyone else on the beach last night?”

Crowley poured the eggs into the pan, stirring them. “Nope, just you and me. Why?”

Aziraphale groaned and sank into a nearby chair, his head in his hands. “Damn it. I had a...something extremely valuable was stolen from me last night, and I really, really need it back.” He yelped as something clawed his leg. “Why you little beast!” The orange cat looked up at him, hissing. Aziraphale growled right back, letting his teeth sharpen. “Watch it, beast. I can bite worse than you.”

“Artemis! Behave yourself!” Crowley came over and scooped up the creature, glaring at it. “Aziraphale is a guest! You know better.”

Aziraphale glared at the cat. It glared right back, as if to say “I know what you are. You don’t belong.”

“It’s okay, dear. Animals...have a somewhat averse reaction to me. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Crowley frowned. “That stinks. Look, I could put Artemis out if you want.”

“No, she’s fine.” Aziraphale bared his teeth at the cat, growling low in his chest. “Aren’t you?” The cat hissed and jumped out of Crowley’s arms, running out the door.

“Huh. So what was taken?” Crowley asked, sitting down at the table and digging into his eggs.

Aziraphale blinked. “Uhh...umm...well...it was um…”

“Was it a book? I noticed you had a pretty good pile of them.”

“No, not a book. It was...” Aziraphale sighed. Better to go in whole truth. “A skin. A.. seal skin, to be specific. It’s...important to me.”

Crowley glared at him. “Thought seal hunting was outlawed.”

Aziraphale gaped. “You think?! NO! That’s not why I need it! I would never hurt one of my...I’d never hurt a seal! But it is imperative that I find that skin and soon!”

“Why?”

Aziraphale clenched his hands in his hair. “Because if I don’t, I’ll never...”

Crowley crossed his arms. “Never what, Aziraphale?”

“I WON’T BE ABLE TO GO HOME!” The selkie wailed, eyes wide with panic. Shit.

“And where’s home?”

Miserably, Aziraphale pointed out the window. Crowley looked, then turned back to Aziraphale. “Nothin’ out there but the ocean.”

“Yes.”

“Wot, you live on a boat or something?”

“No.” Aziraphale took another breath. “Crowley, I...promise me that what I am about to tell you will not leave this cottage.” He looked so serious that Crowley nodded.

“Yeah, course.”

“I’m a selkie.”

“You’re a WHAT?!”


	3. Forging Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief spat and a friendship forged.

Chapter Three: Forging Friendship

Aziraphale sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “A selkie, my dear.”

Crowley nodded. “Right. And what’s that when it’s at home?”

Aziraphale gaped at him. “I am not an it! And further, if I do not find my skin soon, I will not have a home to be at! This is not a trivial matter!”

Crowley frowned. “No, I mean, is it, like, I dunno, some sort of sect or somethin’? Something religious?” He looked so earnest in his confusion that Aziraphale realized that his ignorance was genuine.

“You...honestly don’t know what a selkie is?” Crowley shrugged. “My dear boy, don’t you read?!”

“Not much of a reader, to be honest. So what’s a selkie then?”

Aziraphale sat, motioning for Crowley to do the same. “Right. So, selkie. Means Seal Folk. Basically, it’s...well, a seal that can take on human form. To do that, we come onshore, and, well, shed our seal skin, so to speak. It’s a very painful and bloody process, so I’ll spare you any details. Suffice to say it takes quite a while. But once the skin is shed, we hide it so no land dwellers can find it, then spend time here on the surface.” He sighed, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling. “Of course, when I say we, I mean me. The rest of my tribe aren’t too keen on humans and your world. Especially our leader Gabriel. To him, humans are just savage beasts. But I’ve spent a lot of time here, and I cannot say I agree with him.”

Crowley huffed. “Right. I’m s’posed to believe that you’re, what, some sort of half-human creature? Give me a fucking break. I may be a city dweller, and you’ve probably lived here all your damn life, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like I’m some sort of idiot. If this is a joke, Aziraphale, it’s a damn poor one and to be honest, I really didn’t think you were the kind to make stupid jokes.”

Aziraphale’s eyes flashed in rage. “This is not a joke, Crowley! You...narrow minded, short sighted, stubborn...seaweed brain! Oh, I don’t know why I even bothered coming here in the first place! Just...forget you ever met me, okay?! I’m leaving!” He stood and stomped angrily out, slamming the door so hard that the cottage shook.

Crowley groaned in resignation and ran after him. “Aziraphale, wait!” The selkie kept walking, pointedly not looking back. “Aziraphale! ANGEL, WAIT!”

Aziraphale stopped. “What, human?” Crowley walked up to him, looking contrite. “Well?”

“I..’m sorry, okay? I don’t...I can’t believe that you’re...y’know….” Aziraphale growled and walked on at such a quick pace that Crowley had to jog to keep up with him. “Would you please let me finish what I was going to say?!”

“Make it quick.” Crowley blinked at the venom in Aziraphale’s voice. “You have twenty seconds.”

“Okay, so, like I said, don’t believe in silkies...”

“ _ **Selkies!**_ And now it’s ten seconds.”

“ButobviouslythisskinthingmeansalottoyousoI’llhelpyoufigureoutwhotookit.”

Aziraphale was still quite angry, but Crowley looked so remorseful and earnest that the selkie couldn’t help but forgive him. A bit. A very little bit. “I suppose it’s a start, at least. Very well, I accept your help.” He extended his hand, and Crowley shook it, smiling shyly.

“Right. So, um...who coulda taken it?”

Aziraphale sat down on the sand, crossing his legs under him. Crowley sat as well, legs straight out. “That’s the thing. I thought I was safe here, since, like you, most of the village doesn’t believe my kind exists. Even if someone did find my skin, I’m almost positive that it would just be dismissed as a fake. Perhaps one of the local children took it as a cool artifact.” He looked out at the ocean for several long moments before speaking again. “Granted, that’s the best case scenario. Worst case, somebody in the village does know about our existence and stole my skin in an attempt to control me.”

“Control you how?”

Aziraphale scooped up some sand, letting it fall through his fingers. “It would take someone who knew what the skin was, but potentially, they could...compel me to do things. Even...force me to, umm...” the selkie blushed, looking down between his legs.

Crowley gaped in disgust. “They could rape you?!” Aziraphale nodded. “That’s horrible!”

“No, that’s not horrible. What’s horrible is what will happen if I don’t find my skin before the last night of the full moon.”

“What, you turn into a werewolf?”

Aziraphale shook his head. “If I don’t find my skin and return to the ocean, I get cut off from Poseidon’s favor and will be cursed to remain in this form until the end of my days.”

Crowley grinned cheekily. “That doesn’t seem so bad. You’re kinda cute in this form.”

“You don’t understand!” Aziraphale wailed. “I’ll be mortal! I’ll be cut off from everything I’ve ever known! I’ll never be able to go home again, never see my brothers and sisters! Gabriel’s an ass, but the rest of my family...I can’t leave them! Just because you don’t have anyone doesn’t mean that I don’t!!!”

Crowley clenched his fists in the sand. “You know _**nothing**_ about me, Aziraphale. You have no right to say those things to me. For your information, _selkie_ , I have plenty of family in my life. Scads of family. Oodles of it. Lots and lots of relatives that love me. I have...” His breath hitched. “I...I have no one, you’re right. The only person in the world that gives a tinker’s damn about me is my sister Ana. M’parents think I’m a fuck up, and I couldn’t even keep m’job without breaking down, and everyone there hated me, and when I moved here it was to get away from everything and everyone, and then I met you, and I really liked you, right from the start, and you came t’me with a problem, an...I...god, I’m s’rry...” Crowley buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

Aziraphale’s heart broke for the poor human. “Crowley, it’s my fault as well. I sprung a lot on you just now. Can we maybe start over? You don’t have to believe what I am, just...believe in me? Please? Be my friend.”

Crowley swiped the tears from his eyes. “Yeah, can definitely do that. An..who knows, maybe I might b’lieve you about...the other thing. Someday.”

Aziraphale smiled, then leaned over and kissed Crowley’s cheek. “It’s a start.”

Crowley blushed to the roots of his hair.


	4. The Strength of A Selkie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley and Aziraphale have a race, a talk, and Crowley sees just how strong Aziraphale is.

Chapter Four: The Strength of a Selkie

Something was underneath Crowley’s arse. The sand was wiggling. He shifted positions, trying to dislodge whatever it was, when all of a sudden he felt something sharp. “Yeow!” He leapt out of the sand and landed in an ungainly sprawl right in Aziraphale’s lap. The selkie made a noise of shock and Crowley tried very hard to focus on the fact that his bum hurt and not on the fact that yes, Aziraphale really did have quite the nice chest. “Err...ahhh...ngk...something pinched me.” He said, face as red as his hair. Aziraphale nodded, but made no move to dislodge Crowley. The redhead felt a little thrill of delight at that.

“Probably a crab. Little buggers are everywhere. Give me one moment...AHA!” With a triumphant cry, he shot out his hand. “Got you!” Crowley gaped. A rather large crab dangled in between his fingers, pincer opening and closing. “That was very rude of you, pinching my friend like that.” The crab didn’t answer. Aziraphale bought it up to his face. “You know, I haven’t had my breakfast yet. Crab sounds lovely, don’t you agree?”

Crowley made a noise of shock as Aziraphale brought the crab up to his mouth and proceeded to bite it in half as easily as Crowley would bite an ice cream. Oh dear god his teeth! Crowley watched, torn between sickened and fascinated, as Aziraphale chewed and swallowed, smiling in happiness. “That was scrumptious. Would you care for the other half?” He pressed the crab into Crowley’s face. Oh god. There were guts. And blood. Crowley’s mouth worked, then he scrambled off Aziraphale, crab walked into the ocean, and threw up.

“Crowley? Is everything okay?” Aziraphale sounded rather concerned. Crowley wiped his mouth.

“Fine! Why wouldn’t it be?! I’s not like you just bit a crab in half!” Crowley said, voice coming out rather high pitched. He looked over at Aziraphale, who was looking a bit contrite.

“Well, I was nice enough to offer you the other half. I happen to know there are humans that eat crabs.”

“Yes, but we cook them!” Crowley shouted, still feeling a bit green. “We don’t go around digging up the little bastards and eating them raw! You’ll make yourself sick!” He blinked, as if remembering something. “And what the fuck is up with your teeth?! Did you have some sort of sadistic bet with your dentist?!”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “I eat crab raw all the time. I have yet to make myself ill. As for my teeth...” he sighed, then popped the other half of the crab in his mouth and swallowed before answering. “They are one aspect of my, my selkie-ness, I guess you could call it, that I cannot change. Same with my eyes. They are the same color whether I’m in seal form or human form.”

“Right.” Crowley said. He was starting to wonder if maybe possibly Aziraphale’s story might just be true. Certainly no one he’d ever met had had teeth like that. Very sharp. Very good for biting things in half with. The teeth of a carnivore. “So, uh… any differences?”

Aziraphale pondered. “I’m a much better swimmer as a seal, naturally, but can still swim quite well in this form. I can’t see as far when I’m human, but of course cannot read or write when I’m a seal. Oh, and my fur is a bit darker than my human hair.”

Crowley grinned. “Good swimmer, are you?” Aziraphale gave him a look, and the grin grew wicked. “Care to prove it? See, I’m not too shabby myself. Won a few swim meets back in school. Whattaya say, wanna race?”

“Don’t be absurd, I would win easily.”

Crowley giggled and poked him in the chest. “If you’re scared, just say so.” Aziraphale looked up at him, singularly unimpressed. “Come on, swim with me. I’ll even make you a wager. If I win, you have to...um… “‘kiss me’ his traitorous mind supplied. Crowley told it to shut up. “You have to help me in my garden.”

“Your garden.” Aziraphale’s voice was flat. Crowley nodded, bouncing on his knees.

“Yep. Lots of rocks. Need help moving them. Big ones. Heavy.”

Aziraphale half smiled. “And what do I get when I win?”

“If you win, I’ll...umm...I’ll...I’ll admit that you were telling me the truth!” Aziraphale gawped at him. “But it doesn’t matter, because I’m going to win and you are going to be working in my garden!”

Aziraphale laughed. “Oh, you are a wicked thing. Very well, It’s a wager. Now, if you are ready...” Aziraphale was up shedding his clothes and into the ocean faster than Crowley could blink. “My dear, I do believe we are meant to be racing, and it’s rather hard to do that when you are standing like a jellyfish on the shore.”

“Ngk.” Crowley shed his clothes, trying very very hard to focus on the wager and not on how very nice Aziraphale looked naked(he glared down at his cock and firmly told it to behave) then dove into the water and swam with strong strokes to where Aziraphale bobbed, waiting, “Right. So we’ll swim to that dune, “ he pointed at a shape some ways down on the shore “and back here. First one to hit the beach wins. No going underwater, no trying to dunk the other person. Ready?” Aziraphale nodded. “Set. GO!”

Crowley had been telling sort of the truth about the swimming. He was excellent, that was true. What was less true was the bit about the swim meets. He had been in some, yes, but had never been able to win due to the fact that while he was great for swimming in short bursts, any time he tried to swim any sort of length he always ended up overestimating himself and nearly drowning from exhaustion.

So now as they neared the dune, Crowley felt his limbs, especially his legs, starting to scream in protest. He looked over at Aziraphale, who didn’t even have the grace to look tired. Stupid bugger. Stupid silly gorgeous bugger. Straining, Crowley put on a burst of speed, grinning to himself at Aziraphale’s squawk of surprise.

A spasm suddenly racked his body and Crowley screamed in pain as his legs, which didn’t work that great on the best of days, locked up. He screamed again as he felt the ocean close over his head.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on something soft. He opened his eyes, tried to move, and...no. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Hurt. Hurt a lot. “Gneh?”

“Oh, thank Poseidon! You’re okay!” Aziraphale’s face hovered above him, looking very upset. “What in the seven oceans were you thinking, you stupid seaweed brain?! Winning a stupid wager is not worth nearly drowning over!”

“Where?”

“You’re in my cave. Luckily I remembered it was just over the dune we were racing to.”

“How?”

“I carried you.”

Crowley blinked, then very slowly levered himself into a sitting position. “Carried?” Aziraphale had...carried him. “Must have been pretty heavy for you.”

Aziraphale waved a hand in dismissal. “Nonsense. Now, I suggest you brace yourself. This might hurt a bit.” Crowley gulped. Aziraphale placed his hands on his calves, then pressed hard. Crowley screeched in pain.

“JESUS FUCK THAT HURTS!” He tried to scrabble away, but Aziraphale pressed harder, pinning him in place.

“Hush, I’m helping you.” Crowley whimpered as Aziraphale began to knead the cramped muscles back into shape. “I used to get leg cramps quite a lot when I first started coming ashore. It’s an adjustment, having to go from flippers to feet. Luckily for me, one of the villagers used to be a massist.”

“A wot?!”

Aziraphale shrugged one shoulder. “Oh, you know, she used to rub people’s muscles and make them feel better.”

Crowley laughed. “A masseuse. And who?”

“Tracy Shadwell. She and her husband moved down here from...London, I think it’s called, about a month after I started coming ashore. I had been walking, well, limping down the street and she spotted me and asked if I could use some help.”

Crowley sighed in relief as the last of the knots left his legs. “And wot, you just, picked up how to do it yourself?”

“Well, yes. It’s really not that difficult. Now, stand up.” Crowley gaped at him. “You are perfectly fine. Stand up.”

Crowley stood, expecting his legs to give way at any moment. To his shock, they held him up rather nicely. That was when he noticed something. Or rather a distinct lack of something. “Aziraphale?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are my clothes?” He blinked. “And for that matter, where are yours?!” _‘Do not look at the gorgeous naked possibly a seal person, Crowley’_ he told himself firmly. He looked very closely at the ceiling, hoping to god that he wasn’t blushing too deeply and his erection wasn’t too noticeable. He covered himself with his hands.

Aziraphale shrugged. “I would imagine they’re back on the beach where we started the race. If you’re nervous, I have a trunk of clothes back there that I use for going into the village. Apparently walking around naked is not something humans do.” He pointed into the back of the cave. “Help yourself.”

Crowley stumble ran towards the trunk, pulling out a t shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. It was a far cry from what he normally wore, but it was clothes. He pulled them on(the shorts were a bit big, but he cinched them up and they fit okay). “Uh...d’you...erm...want me to get you something to wear?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, if you feel you have to.”

Crowley found a pair of shorts and a shirt and took them over to Aziraphale, making every effort to look at his face and not the (very nice, very plump and very...impressively sized) rest of him. “Here. So...er...who won?”

Aziraphale pulled on the shirt. “Let’s call it a draw. Tell you what, I’ll give you a hand in your garden anyway. How does that sound?”

Crowley shrugged. “Sure, sounds good to me.”

Two hours later, Crowley was trying desperately not to swoon like a Victorian maiden as he watched Aziraphale root up gigantic rocks like they were made of paper and toss them over his fence one handed without even breaking a sweat.

Maybe there was something to this selkie business after all.


	5. One Search, Furnished With Minimal Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is ticking by faster than Crowley realizes.

Chapter Five: One Search, Furnished With Minimal Distractions

INTERLUDE: SOMEWHERE BENEATH THE WAVES

The dark seal with the violet eyes glanced over at the object draped over the stone ledge. Already he had offered false comfort to many of his brethren and subjects. It was better this way, he told himself. Better for all selkie kind that they believed that his brother was gone forever. He didn’t have the resolve and convictions that Gabriel had. All he had to do now was wait for one more week, and then Aziraphale would never be able to return again, and all would be right.

END INTERLUDE

Aziraphale felt an odd sense of disorientation. He was lying on something that was both hard and soft at the same time, and there was something warm and solid draped halfway over him. The selkie slowly opened his eyes.

The hard and soft thing turned out to be a rather large bed. Aziraphale blinked again. Well, that solved that mystery. So what was the…

The warm object made a soft snorting sound, and Aziraphale opened his eyes wide. Crowley was draped over him, one leg thrown over Aziraphale’s waist and one arm covering the selkie’s chest. It was..really rather nice. “Umm...Crowley?” The mortal made a snuffling sound that was incredibly adorable and pressed himself closer to Aziraphale. “Crowley, dear?”

“F’vemreminutes”. Dear Tethys, why did he have to sound so utterly precious?

“Crowley, please wake up.” Aziraphale racked his brain, trying to remember how they had ended up in this position. They were both clothed, so that was a relief. Aziraphale tried to recall the sequence of events.

He’d done work in the garden. Then Crowley had made dinner(steak for him, and a lovely fish for Aziraphale). Then they had discussed the possible whereabouts of Aziraphale’s skin. Then Crowley had poured something he called ‘Scotch’ and passed it over to Aziraphale. Things got fuzzy after that. They had...with a jolt, Aziraphale remembered.

“Oh. Oh dear.” Aziraphale ran his hand over his face, then shook Crowley’s shoulder. “Crowley, please wake up!”

“Wossgoing...Aziraphale?!” The human bolted into wakefulness. “Whuh...why am I in bed with you?”

Aziraphale smiled. “You don’t remember?” Crowley shook his head. “You were cold.”

“Cold?” Crowley made a face. “Ugh. Think I drank too much last night. Wus me bein’ cold got to do with...”

Aziraphale grinned. “Oh yes, you kept going on about how this cottage is always so cold at night and how you never have enough blankets and you said that I was probably really warm and soft and then you sort of...well, fell off your sofa.”

“You mean I passed out?!” Aziraphale shrugged.

“Is that what it’s called?” Crowley nodded. “Anyway, you looked so utterly helpless just lying there that I felt bad for you and carried you into here. I was planning on simply placing you on this bed and going out to sleep on the sofa, but I neglected to realize something.”

“Wossat?”

Aziraphale ran a hand down Crowley’s spine, smirking at the purr of satisfaction. “That you, my dear, cling like a limpet. You were rather impossible to dislodge, so I just decided it would be much simpler to lie in bed with you.” He glanced down. “In fact, you are still being rather limpet like.”

Crowley blushed. “Y’re soft. And I was right about you being warm. Y’smell like the ocean.”

“I’m not surprised. Is that a bad thing?”

“Nah, it’s a nice smell.” The mortal stretched, yawning until his jaw cracked. Aziraphale blinked in shock. “Sorry. Ugh. Don’t wanna leave warm Aziraphale, but I need to get some food in me or I’ll be a right mess all day long.” Crowley blinked as a memory surfaced. “Oi, you drank too! How come you’re not hungover?”

“Because I cannot get drunk.”

Crowley stuck out his tongue. “No fair.” Aziraphale rolled his eyes and shoved him off the bed. “OI! Meanie!” Crowley stood and wobbled into the kitchen, Aziraphale following behind.

“Crowley?”

“Hmm?”

“Do your hips move like that for a reason?” He’d first noticed it yesterday, and oh oceans was it a hypnotizing movement.

“Had an accident when I was a kid. Was nearly paralyzed. Took me a year to learn to walk again, but my pelvis was pretty well fucked up. I’ve got more metal in there than bones.” He peered into the fridge. “You want some breakfast, or are you going to go catch another crab?”

“Well, actually, I was...YEOWCH!” Aziraphale glared down at Crowley’s fuzzy bastard cat. “You little…!” The cat growled, and Aziraphale snarled, showing his teeth. “Crowley, your hellcat is back home.”

Crowley scooped her up. “Yeah, I try to leave a window open for her. Artemis, you really need to stop clawing Aziraphale. He’s my friend.” Artemis hissed, and Crowley gave her a poke on the nose. “Now, none of that. Try to make nice. Aziraphale, come pet her.”

“Are you insane? I’m not getting anywhere near that shark with fur!” Artemis seemed to share the same opinion, baring her teeth at the selkie and letting out an extremely loud hiss. “That little fuzzball can go swim for all I care!” The selkie stalked past them and headed out towards the beach.

Crowley glared down at the cat. “Artemis, really. I like him.” The cat smirked, purring. “If you can’t play nice, you’ll have to go in your carrier, and I know you don’t like that.” Louder purring. “Okay, kitty jail it is.”

Aziraphale had just finished swallowing the last of the rather nice oysters he had dug up when Crowley sat next to him on the sand. “So, Artemis is in her carrier for the day. It’s big enough that she has room to move around, but she’s probably going to yowl a bit. I am sorry she keeps clawing you.”

“Little furshark needs to learn that there’s animals with sharper teeth than hers.” Aziraphale punctuated this by baring his teeth in a wicked grin. “She might end up getting bit by one of them.”

“No biting my cat!” Crowley threw a handful of sand at him, and Aziraphale dodged it easily. “No fair.” Crowley laid back on the sand. “Hmm...warm. Nice. Hey, was thinking ‘bout your skin.”

“You mean besides the fact that I have a week before I’m trapped like this forever?”

Crowley gaped at him. “A...you didn’t say it was a week! You said it was until the last night of the full moon!”

“Yes, and the first night of the full moon is in four days. The process is...gradual. So really, we have three days to find my skin and stop me from becoming human for good.”

Crowley leaped to his feet. “Then why the blazes are we wasting time here? We’ve got to go to the village, ask everyone! Talk to everyone, see if anyone knows anything, if they have the skin, we’ve got to, we...”

“Crowley. Breathe. I’m just as frantic as you, believe me. But you haven’t eaten anything yet, and I know humans need fuel in the morning. Get some food, and then we’ll go into the village. Okay?”

“ ‘Kay.”

Hours later, the exhausted duo returned to the cottage after a day of fruitless searching. “Well, it’s not in the village, “ Crowley said, collapsing on the sofa. Aziraphale paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. “Aziraphale, you’re going to put a groove in my floor. Sit down.”

“I can’t, I can’t. I...excuse me, I need to get out of here!” The selkie took off, and Crowley blinked. He stood and was about to go after him when his laptop beeped at him from the desk. Groaning, Crowley went over and opened it. Great. A video call. The last one had been from his boss, Bee, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was, in their words, “So fucking fired.” Crowley had flipped them the bird with both fingers and told them to fuck off. He pressed the Answer button with trepidation, then relaxed and grinned widely. “ANA!”

His twin by luck(as they called themselves) beamed at him. She looked as lovely as ever, her dark hair piled up into a messy bun and her glasses(bright green frames) perched on her little button nose. She was wearing one of her old style dresses. “Hey big brother! How’s life on the beach?”

Crowley grinned wider. Anathema had been born and adopted on the same day as him, although he was two hours older. It was a gentle joke among the twins that he was the ‘big brother’. She had been the only one to stand by him their whole lives. “It’s going good so far. Um...how’re Mum and Dad?”

Anathema sighed. “Are you asking out of obligation or because you really want to know?”

“Obligation.” Truth be told, he couldn’t give less of a fuck if his parents were alive or dead. Not after the way they had treated him when he came out. Dad had nearly gone spare, and Mum had screamed that he was ruining her perfect family.

“They’re fine.”

Crowley nodded. “And you? How are you? Still seeing what’s his name, Lizard?”

Anathema laughed. “Newt, Tony. His name is Newt. And yes, we’re still together. He took me to Paris last week! We had crepes!” She blinked, then leaned closer to her screen. “Tony?”

Crowley sighed. He knew that tone. “What, Ana?” He groaned as his sister grinned.

“Are you aware that your aura is blue?” Crowley sighed. Ana was big into that New Age stuff, and claimed that she was able to see auras. Crowley thought the whole thing was bunk, but if it made his sister happy, he wasn’t going to discourage her. “You know what that means?” Ana sounded giddy. It was never good when Ana was giddy. Crowley shook his head. “You’re in luurrvvvee!!!”

Crowley blushed down to his toes. “ ‘M not.”

“He’s blushing! My big brother the stoic is blushing!” Ana cackled. “Oh, I gotta know about this fella.”

“No! There’s no fella! No! You...no!” Crowley squawked. Ana smirked.

“What’s his name, where’d you meet, and is he cute?”

Crowley sighed. He never could fool his sister. “His name’s Aziraphale, we met on the beach, and he’s...he’s gorgeous. He’s strong, and funny, and smart, and I’ve only known him two days, but I feel like we were always supposed to meet, and I was pretty much gone on him from the start. There’s just...one slight problem.”

Ana made a face. “He has a boyfriend?”

Crowley shook his head. “No, it’s...well...” he paused. Two days ago, he would have sworn blind that the story Aziraphale told him was a lie. But now, after witnessing what he had(eating the crab raw, the strength, the teeth, and the swimming) he was pretty certain that he had been telling the truth. But would Ana believe him? “Anathema, you have to promise me that you won’t think I’m crazy.”

Anathema nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

“Aziraphale is a selkie.” He waited for the explosion of laughter, for Ana to tell him that selkies weren’t real.

Instead, she smiled. “Leave it to you, big brother, to fall in love with a magical being. That explains why your aura is bluer than normal auras. You’re in love with someone who dwells in the oceans.”

“Y...you believe me?! I didn’t even believe Aziraphale when he told me!”

Ana giggled. “Unlike you, I read. And what’s that saying? ‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth...”

“Ugh, you know I hate that stupid play. The funnier ones are better.” Ana laughed, and Crowley couldn’t help but join in. “Ana, it was really great talking to you.”

“Same to you! I gotta go now, I’m s’posed to meet Newt for dinner. You need to tell that selkie how you feel, big brother!” Ana admonished before ending the call.

Crowley closed the laptop, mind churning. Right. Tell Aziraphale that he had pretty well fallen head over heels for him the moment he saw him that night in the cave. Tell him that a part of him was hoping they never found the skin so Aziraphale could spend the rest of his life with Crowley. Tell him that waking up in his arms had suffused him with a joy that Crowley had never experienced before.

He was about to go down to the beach when Aziraphale came barreling in, fury on every line of his face. “Aziraphale? What’s going on?”

“I know who has my skin.”


	6. The Truth Will Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale has a small family reunion, Crowley has a confession, and certain truths come to light.

Chapter Six: The Truth Will Out

THEN:

“ _I can’t...I can’t...excuse me, I need to get out of here!”_

Aziraphale ran out of the cottage, half expecting Crowley to come after him. When nothing happened, the selkie kept running. He ran towards the water, eyes wide and fixed on the horizon. Two days left. Two days before he became human for good and would be cut off forever from the only home he knew.

Aziraphale stumbled over his feet and went sprawling into the ocean. He sat up, blowing out water and breathing hard. Their trip into the village had been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. He and Crowley had worked out a fairly believable cover story. Aziraphale had lost a very valuable coat while walking along the beach, and was hoping that maybe someone from the village had come across it. No, they were sure it hadn’t been washed out by the tide. Yes, it was important to him. Not worth a great deal money wise, but it had been in the family for generations.

And nobody had seen it. They had questioned nearly everyone, from the nice Mrs. Shadwell and her very eccentric husband(who kept blathering about witches) to the small gang of human pups(Crowley had helpfully informed him that “They’re called children, Angel, not pups”) that always seemed to be hanging about by the ice cream shop. The leader of the pups, Adam, had promised to keep an eye out, but Aziraphale wasn’t very comforted.

“Why did you call me that?” Aziraphale had asked. They had just finished talking to the local mailman Lesley and his wife Maud. Neither had seen a coat that matched the description Aziraphale gave(light-ish brown, looks like fur, very long).

“Call you what?” Crowley had asked, looking rather shy and, Tethys bless him, extremely adorable.

“Angel.” Aziraphale had some vague idea what an angel was. He had seen a picture. The angel had lots of eyes and wings. He was fairly sure he didn’t look like that. “I’m not one.”

Crowley had scuffed his shoe on the road, blushing. “Er...cause your hair looks like a halo, and you’re...really nice, like an angel, and...um...whenilookatyouifeellikeiminheaven.” He said the last in a rush of breath, his face beet red. “Jus...you make me feel happier than I have in a long time.”

“Oh. I...Crowley...”

“No, I know. We’ve got more important things. Hey, we’ve not asked the lady that runs the bakery yet. We could maybe get something to snack on while we’re there?”

NOW:

Aziraphale groaned. Crowley had been so nice, helping him. He had been helpful, and kind, and so very sweet. Crowley was doing everything he could to help Aziraphale find his skin and go home, and yes, of course it was what Aziraphale wanted. He belonged in the ocean. He belonged with his brothers and sisters. He belonged in that world, not this one. He wanted to go home, he wanted to be happy, to be free, he..

He wanted to be with Crowley.

Aziraphale buried his face in his hands. Oh, oceans, how he wanted to be with Crowley. How was it possible that in less than four days the mortal had managed to so thoroughly and utterly capture his heart? How could it even be that he could have fallen so hard and so fast? Aziraphale shook himself. “This is ridiculous. He’s been a good help to you, nothing more. You are a selkie, he is a human. It will never work. You are being ridiculous. You don’t love him. You can’t love him. It’s impossible.” He sighed. “And even if I did, there’s no way he could feel the same. This is hopeless.”

‘ _Is it?’_ His traitorous heart spoke up. Aziraphale growled at it to shut up. _‘You cannot be blind to the way_ _he looks at you.’_

“I’m sure he looks at everyone that way.” Aziraphale mumbled.

‘ _Like they personally created the waves on the ocean?’_

“Shut. Up. It’s hopeless. We’re from different worlds.”

‘ _Not that different.’_

“SHUT UP!” Aziraphale’s scream echoed along the beach, startling a gull into flight. “I don’t love him, I don’t….I...”

‘ _Liar.’_

Aziraphale dug his fists into the wet sand. “Oh Poseidon help me, I love him. Oh...I love him.” He fell forward onto the tide line, sighing deeply. “I love him, but I want to go home, and I don’t know what to do...”

A movement caught his eye, and he straightened up, glancing out at the ocean. Something was bobbing in the waves. Something black. Aziraphale shielded his eyes, then leaped to his feet and began waving both hands. “Uriel! Over here! Uriel!”

The black object turned and shot towards the shore, revealing itself to be a seal with black fur and bright gold eyes. She looked at Aziraphale, shock clear on her face. Aziraphale grinned. “What brings you here?”

**How are you here, brother?**

Aziraphale sighed. “Umm, well, it’s sort of a long story, but...”

**You are living.**

Aziraphale glanced down at himself, then patted his very solid body. “Yep, I am.”

**Gabriel informed us you were gone.**

Aziraphale’s blood froze. “He...he did what?!”

Uriel did the seal equivalent of a nod. **He showed us the skin. Said humans had killed you while you slept and were helpless. We mourned.**

Aziraphale began trembling in rage. “Gabriel...showed you my skin?” Uriel nodded. “He...oh Poseidon it was him! He stole it! HE STOLE MY SKIN! WHY?!”

**It does not matter. You live.**

Aziraphale scratched her under the chin. “My dear little sister, it matters a great deal. The last night of the full moon is tomorrow. I will be stuck as a mortal.” A sudden thought struck him. “Could you get my skin back from Gabriel?”

**He keeps it in his rooms. It would be difficult.**

“Try, my little one.” Uriel rubbed Aziraphale’s chest then turned and disappeared under the waves. Seething in rage at the revelation, Aziraphale ran back to the cottage.

“I know who has my skin.”

Crowley had never seen the selkie look so enraged. “Okay, who?”

Aziraphale wanted to throw something. He paced back and forth, fury rising with each step. “Gabriel. He took it! Not only that, he told everyone that I was dead! Why would he do that?! HE’S MY BROTHER, WHY WOULD HE DO...” There was a strange tight feeling in his chest. What was happening?! Was he dying?! He felt something wet on his cheeks. Water. Salt water. “It’s starting! I’m becoming human, the ocean is leaving me! I’m losing Poseidon’s favor!” The water kept coming, and that strange tight feeling got worse. “I’m dying! Crowley, I’m dying!” His legs gave way and he fell to the floor. This had to be what becoming mortal felt like. This endless, empty ache.

Crowley’s arms were around him. Crowley was holding him close. “Angel. You’re not dying. Those are tears. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you, my angel. Just let them come.”

Aziraphale wailed. “It hurts, Crowley, it hurts so much, I can’t breathe, I...”

“Ssshh. I’m here. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“Hurts...” the selkie whimpered. His body was shaking and he couldn’t stop the water from flowing out of his eyes. “Want it to stop hurting.”

“It will, my angel. It will.” Crowley whispered, gently rubbing Aziraphale’s back. “Just let it happen.”

“Hurt...so...much...” Aziraphale couldn’t finish. The ache was too deep. It hurt. Oh, how it hurt.

“I know, my love. I know. I cried just like this when my parents threw me out. It hurts when it’s someone that’s supposed to love and care for you. It’s even worse when it’s family.”

Aziraphale sniffled. “Crowley? Did...did you just call me your love?”

Crowley pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. “Yeah. I know you probably don’t feel the same, but...”

“I love you too.” Aziraphale whispered. There was no answer. “Crowley? Is...is everything okay?”

Crowley felt like crowing in triumph. “Aziraphale, everything is tickety boo.”

THE SELKIE CASTLE

Uriel knew she had to be careful. Gabriel was a very light sleeper, and she knew that he kept Aziraphale’s skin close. Silently, the youngest selkie swam into the prince’s room, looking around. No sign of guards. Gabriel lay on his seaweed bed, whiskers moving as he snored. Where was the skin?

Uriel swam closer. Gabriel snuffled, and she froze, glad that her dark fur helped hide her. She had gone ashore to mourn her brother, only to find him alive. Why had Gabriel lied? For a mortal to steal a selkie’s skin was bad enough, but a fellow selkie? It went beyond the pale.

A flash of gold caught her eye. Oh, oceans! Gabriel was sleeping on the skin! Now what was she to do?! Wait. A bit of flipper dangled down. If she was very, very careful, maybe she could dislodge it without waking him up. Cautiously, she swam forward, carefully taking the flipper in her teeth. She tugged. It moved a centimeter.

Gabriel snorted and rolled over, mumbling something. **Better nobody realizes he’s really the eldest.**

Uriel froze. Was Gabriel saying that Aziraphale was the eldest? But no, that wasn’t right. Gabriel had always boasted about how he was older. He was certainly bigger.

**Not my fault Mother never told him.**

Uriel tugged harder. With a sudden jolt, the skin came lose.

At the same time, Gabriel awoke with a bellow. **URIEL! YOU TRAITOR, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?**

**Why did you tell everyone Aziraphale was dead when he wasn’t?!**

Gabriel lunged forward, trying to grab the seal skin in her teeth. Uriel swam back, glad for once that she was faster than him. **Is it true he’s the oldest of us?!**

**GUARDS! GUARDS!**

**ANSWER ME, GABRIEL!**

The prince swiped at her. **Yes! It’s true!**

**Then why?!!**

**BECAUSE MOTHER IS GIVING UP THE CROWN! HE DOESN’T DESERVE IT! I DO!**

Realization hit Uriel like a tidal wave. The Selkie Queen was giving up her throne. By Selkie law, the crown went to the eldest. But if the eldest was dead, or believed to be dead…

**TRAITOR!!!** Uriel screamed, swiping hard at Gabriel’s face. He yowled in pain as she drew blood. **LIAR!**

She turned tail and swam as fast as she could, Aziraphale’s skin clutched tightly in her teeth.

One way or another, things were going to change.


	7. The Love Song Of Anthony J Crowley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love, revelations, and danger. And all in one day.

Chapter Seven: The Love Song Of Anthony J Crowley

“Aziraphale, everything is tickety boo.” Crowley wanted to dance a jig. He wanted to climb onto the roof of the cottage and scream his triumph for all the village to hear. He wanted to run through the streets and let everyone know how transcendentally happy he was at this very moment.

Instead, he shifted positions so that he was looking the selkie straight in those ocean blue eyes. “Aziraphale,” he said solemnly, “I am going to kiss you now.”

Aziraphale beamed, his face still wet from crying. “Oh. Oh, that would be lovely.”

Crowley gently cradled his face in his hands, leaned in, and pressed his lips to Aziraphale’s. The selkie tasted of saltwater, and Crowley moaned. Carefully, he deepened the kiss. With a whimper, Aziraphale wrapped his arms around him and kissed back. “You don’t have to be so delicate, my love.”

“ ‘M worried about your teeth.”

Aziraphale giggled into his mouth. “I won’t bite.” Crowley growled and deepened the kiss, burying his hands in Aziraphale’s hair. Oh, it was so soft.

“Ziraphale...love you...” Crowley moaned. He slid his tongue into the selkie’s mouth, scraping it along his sharp teeth. The sensation was far from unpleasant. In fact, Crowley thought with a thrill of excitement, it was incredibly arousing. Aziraphale shifted so that he was straddling Crowley’s lap, and Crowley slid his hands underneath his shirt, whining in need at the corded muscles he could feel. “Off...”

“Of course, my love.” Aziraphale shucked off his shirt, and Crowley nearly combusted at the sight. “You too, my darling.”

Crowley tore off his shirt, tossing it carelessly into a corner. Aziraphale stared at him for so long that the human began to feel self conscious. He knew that compared to Aziraphale he was skin and bones. “Zira…?”

Aziraphale leaned forward and kissed Crowley’s sternum. “Beautiful. You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

Crowley blushed. “ ‘M not. That’s you.” Aziraphale rolled his eyes and gently nipped at his chest. Crowley gasped. Oh. Oh that was… “Do that again.”

With a growl, Aziraphale nipped him again. The sensation shot straight to his cock. “Ohh...god…again...”

Aziraphale sank his teeth into Crowley’s shoulder, and the human howled. “FUCK!”

“What a lovely idea.” Aziraphale smirked. Crowley gaped at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I assume you have a bed?”

“Yuh huh. Uh..c’n you...umm..I mean, d’you have…?”

Aziraphale rutted hard against Crowley. The redhead yelped. “Does that answer your question?”

“NGK.” He shot to his feet, pulling the selkie up with him. “Bed. This way.”

Crowley’s bedroom door banged off the wall as they entered, kissing with furious passion as their hands roved over each other. Clothes were not so much removed as shredded. Aziraphale lifted Crowley up, letting the mortal lock his legs around his waist. “Fuck...Aziraphale...” He slammed Crowley into the wall, and the mortal howled. “YESSSS...”

The selkie grinned against his throat, scraping the flesh with his top teeth, and Crowley yowled in pleasure. “Hmm...seems you like it when I bite.” He nipped at a spot just below Crowley’s ear.

“Hnnngg...” Crowley was beyond coherent speech. His lust hazed brain tried to make his tongue form some sort of words. “Need...” He whimpered, pawing desperately for Aziraphale’s cock. The selkie grabbed his hands, pinning them above his head. “Zira...” Crowley was practically begging, and Aziraphale realized that he couldn’t stand much more of this either.

He spun Crowley around, placed both hands on his waist, then threw him across the room and onto the bed. The redhead went sprawling, eyes blown wide with carnal lust. Aziraphale stalked forward, climbing onto the bed and pinning Crowley down. He grabbed his arms, yanking them over his head, and the human whimpered, panting hard. “Crowley, there’s something you should know about selkie mating habits.”

“Hnng?” Crowley couldn’t think, and it became even harder to remain coherent when Aziraphale slid his hand between them and did something that caused stars to burst before his eyes.

“Selkies..” Aziraphale whispered, nipping on his ear, “tend to be very...assertive.”

“ ‘Sertive?”

“Mmm hmm. Do you know what that means, my love?” Aziraphale asked, twisting his hands and smirking when Crowley gurgled in pleasure. “It means...that you are going to be **screaming** my name in just a few short hours.”

“HNNNG?”

Aziraphale was beginning to be able to translate Crowley’s moans. “Oh yes, that’s another thing. I can last a very, very long time. The big question is, can you?”

A loud moan was the only answer. “Oh, lovely.”

If anyone had been walking down on the beach that night, they would have been rather shocked at the screams coming from the cottage owned by one Anthony Crowley. Had they stopped to listen, they would have realized the screams were not those of a man in pain.

“ **OH MY GOD AZIRAPHALE FUCK OH GOD OH FUCK HARDER HARDER FUCK FUCK BITE ME OH MY FUCKING GOOODDD!!"**

And beneath the screams of pleasure, one could almost hear what sounded like growling.

“Well, that was rather enjoyable.” Aziraphale said, stretching. He looked down at the limp human beneath him. “Did you enjoy yourself, my dear?”

“ngk...” Crowley gurgled. Yes. He had enjoyed himself. He had enjoyed himself very, very much. If it wasn’t for the fact that he couldn’t move so much as a pinky, he wanted to enjoy himself again. And again. Preferably until Aziraphale was as limp and loose limbed as he was. “Nice...”

Aziraphale giggled. “Nice? Really?”

“F’ckin perfect...” Crowley said, yawning. “ ‘M all sticky.”

“Ah, yes. Washroom?” Crowley tilted his head in the direction of his bathroom. Aziraphale slid out of bed(Crowley whined and tried to pull him back) and went into the bathroom, finding a cloth and wetting it before returning. He gently cleaned up the mess they had left. “Looks like I made you bleed a bit.”

Crowley sighed. “Liked it.”

“Yes, I could tell.” The selkie tossed the cloth aside and pulled Crowley into his arms. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Hmm...you’re soft, an’ y’smell so good..” Crowley yawned again, snuggling up to the selkie. “Angel?”

“Yes?”

“L’veyou.”

Aziraphale smiled down at the human fast asleep in his arms. “I love you too.”

The selkie was the first one up the next morning. He stroked the human’s hair, then kissed him softly before slipping out of bed and going over to the cat carrier. Artemis hissed at him, her fur standing straight up as she arched her back. Aziraphale bared his teeth. “Look, you little hellion. I do not like you, and you don’t like me. However, I happen to love your owner very much, so for his sake, I’m willing to call a truce. You stop trying to claw me, and I won’t threaten to eat you. Do we have a deal?”

The cat growled in what could almost be taken as agreement. “Great. We stay out of each others’ way.”

“Ziraphale?” Crowley’s sleepy voice made him turn. “What’re you doing?”

“Coming to a compromise with that hellcat of yours, my love.” Aziraphale slid back into bed, and Crowley draped himself over the selkie. “We’ve decided to try to at least tolerate each other for your sake.”

“ ‘S good. What time is it?”

“Early. Sun’s not even up yet. Have you ever watched it come up on the beach?”

“Nuh uh.”

Aziraphale grinned. “Well, there’s no time like the present. Come on.”

Crowley put up a weak protest but allowed himself to be carried outside(and no, he most certainly did not blush quite deeply at his lover’s show of strength) and down to the tide line. He leaned back against Aziraphale. “Now watch, my love. It’s a sight worth remembering.”

Crowley had to admit Aziraphale was right. The colors were breathtaking. “ Yeah, it’s nice.” He blinked. “Something’s out there.”

“Where?” Crowley pointed, and Aziraphale peered, then jumped to his feet, cupping his hands around his mouth. “URIEL!”

Crowley watched in shock as a black seal came swimming to shore, heaving herself(Crowley guessed it was a she because the seal was a bit small) onto the sand. Aziraphale threw his arms around her. “Oh, thank Tethys you’re safe!” The seal nudged Aziraphale hard. “What?”

“Angel.” Crowley had spotted the rather large object that the seal (Uriel?) held in her teeth.

“What?” Crowley pointed, and Aziraphale looked down. “Ohhh...”

His skin. He had his skin back. Uriel set it at his feet, and Aziraphale snatched it up, clinging to it like a life line. “Why?” He looked at Uriel, eyes bright with tears.

Crowley gasped as the black seal’s skin...split open. He watched, repulsed and fascinated, as the seam grew larger. A hand emerged, followed by an arm, and another hand. The two hands, which were the same color as the seal’s fur, widened the seam even more, and now a head was emerging. Someone was shouting, and Crowley wasn’t sure if it was him or the seal. Shoulders and a torso were next, then a waist, hips, and lower body.

The selkie(for there was no doubt no in Crowley’s mind that that was what she was, which meant that yes, Aziraphale had been telling the truth) pulled herself into a sitting position. Crowley very politely ignored the fact that she was naked. “Is it safe to speak in front of...him?” She indicated Crowley. Aziraphale nodded. “Mother is abdicating.”

Aziraphale looked perplexed. “Yes, I know. It’s all Gabriel’s been talking about, and it’s a big reason why I’ve been coming ashore. Having to listen to him brag about how he’s going to be King gets very tiresome after a while.”

“Aziraphale...you do not understand. Gabriel is stealing the throne from the rightful heir. The eldest son.”

The puzzlement grew deeper. “Yes...and that’s Gabriel.”

Uriel shook her head. “No. I went and spoke to Mother, to make certain what Gabriel told me was true, and she confirmed it. You’re the oldest. By one day.”

Aziraphale’s legs gave way and he collapsed in the sand. Crowley scooted over to him. “Angel? What...what does that mean?”

Uriel looked over at the human who had his arms around her brother. “It means that Gabriel is a traitor.”

Aziraphale couldn’t think. “I’m the oldest? Why didn’t I know?”

Uriel shifted so her legs were under her. “Gabriel was always bragging about how he was the biggest, you know that. He is a bully, and quite frankly, the Selkies would do well to not have him as King. You know how he feels about humans.”

“It’s not like the rest of them are any different.” Aziraphale said, voice dark with anger. Uriel sighed.

“Yes, but if we had a King that clearly loves the humans, like you, we could learn from him. Aziraphale, we shouldn’t have to hide ourselves away. This village has been here for a long time, and maybe it’s time people knew about us.”

Crowley spoke up. “That could be a double edged sword, Uriel?” The female selkie nodded. “Humans...we tend to sometimes be afraid of things we don’t know. Things that...aren’t supposed to exist. But we also have an infinite capacity for curiosity and asking questions. Have from the start.”

Aziraphale kissed his cheek. “Indeed. And you’re right, Uriel. We do need to establish an...alliance I suppose. But how?”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter,” came a voice from behind them. The trio watched in shock as a man with dark brown hair and violet eyes walked forward, grinning madly. “Hello, brother.”


	8. A Royal Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things between Gabriel and Aziraphale come to a head.

Chapter Eight: A Royal Reckoning

“Gabriel.” Aziraphale’s voice was cold with rage.”Crowley darling, hold this for me, will you?” He handed Crowley his skin then stood and faced his brother. “How. Dare. You.” Uriel gulped. She was used to seeing her brother as the quiet, kind one. The one who always tried to see the best in everyone, be they Selkie or human. The one who always had a smile for everyone he met, who lived life with enthusiasm.

The Aziraphale that faced his brother was nothing like that. Gone was the open, friendly face. In its place was an expression that promised a world of pain for Gabriel. Fury and righteous anger was written in every line of the taut body, which no longer looked remotely soft. Aziraphale looked like a warrior geared for battle.

Crowley was less than surprised to realize that he was **incredibly** turned on. “Aziraphale?” Oh good, his voice was only slightly high pitched. “Is everything okay?” 

“Everything,” Aziraphale growled(and oh that sound went straight to Crowley’s already very alert cock) “is just. Fine. What I want to know, Gabriel, is why.” 

Gabriel snorted. “Why. You ask me why, when you’ve got one of those filthy, disgusting...things hanging about you? How could you soil yourself?” 

Aziraphale growled. “That  **thing** is a human, and he has a name!  But this is not about Crowley and me. This is about the fact that you STOLE MY SKIN! You committed the worst crime any Selkie ever could, and for what?! So you could steal something I NEVER WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE?!” 

Gabriel stepped back, mouth open. “You...what?” 

Aziraphale sighed. “I never wanted the throne. Even before I knew the truth about our...birth order. I would have been happy to remain as I was, coming ashore and living life in both worlds. If you had thought to simply tell me the truth and ask what I wanted, none of this would have had to happen. Instead you became a traitor.” 

Gabriel’s face went red with rage. “How dare you call me traitor! You were never fit to rule! I did you a favor, stealing your skin! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE ONE OF US!” 

Uriel gasped in shock. Aziraphale staggered, eyes wide. “Gabriel, think about what you’re saying. Please.” 

“YOU ARE A DISGRACE! I SHOULD HAVE BURNED THAT SKIN THE MOMENT I TOOK IT!” He screamed, lunging for the skin that Crowley held tightly in his hands. “GIVE THAT TO ME! IT’S MINE!” Gabriel snatched for the skin, but Crowley was faster. He dodged out of the way. Gabriel screeched with insane rage and lunged again. With a yelp, Crowley jumped out of the way once again. 

“Angel! I don’t think I can dodge him much longer!” Crowley cried out in pain as Gabriel’s fist connected with his shoulder. “AZIRAPHALE, DO SOMETHING!” Gabriel bore him down to the sand, hands wrapping around his throat and starting to squeeze. “AZIRAPHALE!!” 

Aziraphale blinked, shaking himself out of the shock that Gabriel’s words had induced.  _**“No.”** _ He growled, then with a roar, threw himself on Gabriel, dragging him off Crowley. Gabriel bellowed, trying to throw him off. Aziraphale went backwards, dragging Gabriel with him. “YOU WILL NOT HURT HIM!” 

Gabriel screeched and clawed at Aziraphale’s arm. Blood flowed, and the blond selkie roared in pain and rage, sinking his teeth into the meat of his brother’s shoulder, ripping out a chunk of flesh. Aziraphale spat it onto the sand. Gabriel screamed like a wild animal and twisted his body. Aziraphale went flying, landing on the sand in a heap. Gabriel charged at him with a roar that seemed to shake the sky itself. 

“LOOK OUT!” Crowley and Uriel screamed at the same time. Aziraphale spun around and jumped to his feet, meeting Gabriel’s charge with a roar of his own. Their bodies collided together with a thud that made Crowley’s ears ring. 

He knew Aziraphale was strong. He had seen that strength in action in the past few days. But now, watching as Aziraphale fought his brother tooth and nail, Crowley realized with a jolt that Aziraphale had been holding back. Aziraphale was bleeding from a dozen wounds, but he kept going. Gabriel slashed, and bit, and clawed, and Aziraphale, blind with rage, met his every move.  They rolled around on the sand, teeth and claws bared. Gabriel screeched when Aziraphale opened up his cheek, and Aziraphale howled in fury and pain when Gabriel dealt him a blow to the head. 

“I don’t know how much longer Aziraphale can last.” Uriel whispered to Crowley. “He is beginning to flag.” Crowley gulped. It was true, Aziraphale was starting to show signs of fatigue.

“What can we do?” 

Uriel wrapped her skin around herself. “I will try to find where Gabriel hid his skin. You...distract him so he doesn’t kill my brother.” With that, she slipped into her skin and dove into the water, swimming along the shore. 

Crowley gulped again. Right. Distract the very angry selkie. The very angry selkie who was trying his best to kill the selkie Crowley was quite madly in love with.  “OI, SEAWEED BRAIN!” No response. Crowley sighed. What would serve as a distraction? Crowley didn’t think throwing water on them would work, seeing as how they were both sea creatures. Sand wouldn’t make much of an impact either. So what? Crowley frowned, then brightened. Shells. There were shells everywhere. Maybe if a few of them were sharp enough.. 

He dug into the sand, pulling out handfuls of tiny shells. “Here goes nothing.” He reared back his arm and threw the shells straight at Gabriel. Most were carried away by the wind, but a few landed on his back. Quickly, Crowley scooped up a larger handful and threw it. Gabriel shook himself, growling. 

“Stop that.” 

Grinning, Crowley scooped up another handful, then another, and another, tossing them in rapid succession. “Make me, you stupid seaweed brain!” 

“C’rwley...don’t...he’ll...” Aziraphale croaked. Poseidon, he hurt. He had never had to fight so viciously before. And now Crowley was going to get himself killed. And...wait. Where was Uriel? 

Crowley scooped up another handful of sand and threw it right in Gabriel’s face. The larger selkie roared in fury and launched himself at the redhead. Shit. Crowley hadn’t really thought beyond “make Gabriel leave my lover alone.” 

“URIEL, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Crowley screeched as Gabriel slammed him into the sand. 

Aziraphale tried to get to his feet but a wave of pain and fatigue crashed into him and he fell. Gabriel had his hands around Crowley’s throat, and this time Aziraphale couldn’t muster up the strength to stand, much less pull him off. This was it. They were both going to die. 

Something wet slammed into his back. He turned. “Uriel!” She smiled at him, then pressed the wet object into his hands. It was Gabriel’s skin.

“I found this in a cave down on the beach.” 

Aziraphale  grinned and snatched the skin. “GABRIEL, LET HIM GO OR I’LL BURN THIS!” 

Gabriel turned. Aziraphale waved the skin. “Give me that!” 

Aziraphale shook his head. “Release my lover, and I will.” 

Gabriel complied, and Crowley gasped for air. “What...what did you call this filth?!” 

“My lover. Why?” 

Gabriel’s eyes went red and he charged, screaming insanely. Aziraphale braced himself for another fight. And he knew that this time, there was very little chance of him winning. 

But before Gabriel could reach him, Uriel stepped forward, placing herself between them both. “GABRIEL, STOP!” 

“Out of my way, Uriel!” 

“NO! You have to stop this! Gabriel, he’s our brother! You...you’re better than this, I know you are! You...we were a family, once. Remember? When we were little? You used to be such a good big brother, you and Aziraphale both. Michael and Sandy and me, we worshiped you. Do you remember the games we played? Please, Gabriel. Don’t let your mad ambitions erase everything.” 

“It’s this one’s fault for coming ashore. He betrayed us all, Uriel!” 

“He didn’t betray anyone! We cannot hide forever! We must move forward! Aziraphale’s already said he doesn’t want to rule! But if you kill him, you’ll have to live with the knowledge forever! Can you live like that, knowing that you’re responsible for his death?” 

“ENOUGH!” Gabriel shoved her hard, sending her sprawling. “Little meddler, doesn’t know when to shut up. I should have ripped her throat out years ago. And now, **brother** , the time of your reckoning has come. Oh, and once I’ve killed you, I’m going to tear that filth you called your lover into shreds and eat the pieces that are left.” He knelt down, grabbing Aziraphale by the hair and yanking his head up. “And I’m going to enjoy every single scream.”

Aziraphale dug his hands into the sand. “No. You. ARE. NOT.” With a bellow, he threw the sand right into Gabriel’s face. Gabriel screamed, clawing at his eyes, and Aziraphale knew he had seconds to act. 

He struck, sending Gabriel to the ground, then bared his teeth and ripped his throat out. Blood gushed. Gabriel twitched, eyes glassy and unseeing. Aziraphale spat out the chunk of flesh he had ripped out, panting hard. “I am sorry, brother. But you left me no choice.” 

Crowley came over, Aziraphale’s skin in his hands. Without a word, he handed it to the selkie. Aziraphale took it, then went to Uriel, gently shaking her. “Little one, it’s ended. We can go home.” 

Crowley was trying very hard to not cry. “So...umm...I guess this is...I mean, you have your skin back, and...well, still daylight, so no worries about you becoming mortal, and well, umm...you’re...king, so...” 

“Crowley.” Aziraphale cupped the redhead’s face in his hands and pulled him into a passionate kiss. “I will be back, my love.” 

“You...you will?” Aziraphale laughed and kissed him again. 

“There’s some things I need to do. In three weeks time, come to this spot, and I will be here, and one way or another, we will spend the rest of our lives together” 

“Th...that’s so long!” 

“Will you wait for me?” 

Crowley nodded. “Aziraphale, I would wait 6,000 years for you.”  Aziraphale kissed him. 

“Wonderful. Goodbye for now, my darling.”

Crowley watched in awe as the two selkies slipped into their skins(god, Aziraphale was even gorgeous as a seal) and swam away, bearing the body of Gabriel between them. He staggered back to the cottage. 

Once inside, he sank onto the sofa. Now all he had to do was wait. 

Easy. 


	9. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale makes a choice, Crowley waits(with help from Anathema).

Chapter Nine: The Waiting Game

THE SELKIE CASTLE

Aziraphale was more than aware of the numerous eyes upon him and Uriel. Their fellow selkies watched as they swam forward, the dead Gabriel between them. He could hear the whispers of shock and surprise. He ignored them all, focusing instead on the white selkie that sat on a throne made of coral.

The Selkie Queen watched, her face impassive, as Aziraphale and Uriel approached. **What happened?**

Gently, the two selkies laid their dead brother on the floor in front of the throne. Aziraphale spoke.  **I was left with no choice, Mother. Gabriel was beyond reasoning.** He bowed his head.  **I will accept punishment, if you feel I need it.**

Uriel swam forward.  **He only did it to protect ...someone he loves, Mother.**

The Queen swam over to Aziraphale.  **Come speak with me, my son.** Aziraphale followed her into her private chambers.  **Tell me everything.**

Aziraphale took a breath and began talking. He told of how he had met Crowley on the beach and been entranced by him. How he had gone to the mortal when his skin was stolen, and despite his initial disbelief, how Crowley had promised to help him. How the mortal had made him feel alive like nothing before ever had. How Crowley had comforted him when he cried for the first time in his life over the hurt of Gabriel’s actions. How he had found himself falling in love, and how joyous he had been when he realized that Crowley loved him as well.  How Gabriel had showed up and nearly killed them both, forcing Aziraphale to kill him. 

**I told him that I would return in three weeks.** Aziraphale said.  **That should be enough time to train Uriel to be Queen, should it not?**

**Yes. But why her?**

**I know she is the youngest, but she has wisdom and gentleness beyond her years. She would make a fine queen. I am not fit for royal duties, Mother. We both know that. And Uriel feels the same way about humans as I do. We think...it is time we made an alliance with the villagers.**

The Queen smiled.  **My son, you are far wiser than you think. But if this is what you want..** Aziraphale nodded.  **Then I will begin to train Uriel to take my place. But Aziraphale, my sweet one, I must know..are you giving up this life?**

**Being a selkie was all I knew, Mother. It was my life for so long. But I also love the time I spend as a human, and I have fallen deeply in love with one. I wish to continue as I am.** Aziraphale bowed his head.  **So I have a favor to ask. The human, Crowley...my love..I want to give him the Water of Life.**

The Queen looked surprised. **You love him that much?** Aziraphale looked straight into her eyes.

**Yes. More than anything.** The Queen swam over to a large coral. Dangling from it was a silver chain with a clam shell. She tugged off the chain and swam over, motioning for Aziraphale to bend his head. He obeyed, and she slipped the  chain around his neck. 

**Thank you.**

CROWLEY’S COTTAGE: WEEK ONE 

Crowley had not had what one would call a good night’s sleep. In fact, he had had a very lousy night. He had been missing Aziraphale something awful, and in lieu of anything better to do, had decided to drink until he passed out. 

He staggered into the bathroom and into the shower, not even bothering to get undressed. He turned the water on as hot as he could stand, letting it sooth his pounding headache. He wobbled to the bedroom and after struggling into dry clothes somehow managed to find his sunglasses, slipping them on and staggered to the kitchen, where he made himself a gigantic cup of coffee. He pointedly did not look out of the window. He knew if he so much as glanced at the ocean he was going to start crying. 

There was something buzzing in his pants pocket. He fumbled for the whatever it was. Right. His phone. He swiped the button to answer. “Mglbk?” 

“And good morning to you too, Tony. Tie one on last night, did you?” 

“Mmmble.” His sister was far too cheerful. “Whdywnt?” 

“I have a surprise for you! I’m coming for a visit!” 

“Th’snice. When?” There was a long pause. “Ana…?” 

“Umm...well...I’m...sort of...standing in front of your door right now.” Crowley groaned and went over to the door, opening it. Anathema stood there, beaming at him. “Hi!” 

“C’min.” He stepped aside and Anathema entered, looking around. 

“Oh, this place is so beautiful! It suits you so well!” Crowley grunted in acknowledgment. “So, where’s that selkie of yours? I want to meet...Tony? What’s wrong?” Crowley had begun sobbing. Anathema rushed forward, pulling her distraught brother into a hug. “Anthony, what happened? Did he leave you?” 

“N...no, I mean yes, he did, but he promised he’d be back in three weeks, but Ana it’s only been a day and I feel like I’m being torn apart from the inside I...miss him so much...” 

Anathema steered him over to the sofa. “Tell me everything.” 

Crowley took a breath and began speaking. “And...I was so scared that he would leave for good, but he promised to come back, and...I said I would be fine waiting, but I’m not fine...I...I’ve never in my life loved someone as much as him..I...can’t be alone.” 

“You won’t be. I’ll stay with you until Aziraphale returns.” 

Crowley swiped the tears from his eyes. “What about Newt? Your job?” Ana owned an occult bookshop. 

“Newt will be fine, and I’ve got enough people working for me that my absence won’t be a hindrance. You need support, big brother. That’s what I’m here for, okay?” 

Crowley pulled her into a tight hug. “ ‘S what you’ve always been here for, Ana. Thank you.”  She hugged back just as tightly. 

THE SELKIE CASTLE, WEEK TWO 

Uriel was taking to her training like, well, a selkie to water. At first she had been unsure, but Aziraphale and the Queen had both assured her that she would do fine. Her brothers and sisters had expressed disbelief at first, but all of them realized that Aziraphale would not be able to handle the demands of the office. 

**Aziraphale?** Uriel found him in the seaweed gardens.  **Is everything okay?**

**I miss Crowley so much. It feels like my heart has been torn in two.** Aziraphale said, staring down at the beds of sea flowers.  **He has a garden. I helped remove rocks from it.**

**Crowley?** Aziraphale nodded. **Is his garden as beautiful as ours?**

**More than. He has a gift for growing things. I want to bring him a sea lily when I return. He could keep it alive if anyone could. But I cannot find the perfect one.**

Uriel swam closer, peering at the lilies. She extended a flipper.  **That one. The red and gold one. It has both your colors.**

Aziraphale beamed.  **It’s perfect. Thank you.**

CROWLEY’S COTTAGE, WEEK THREE 

Anathema hummed a tune to herself as she whipped the pancake batter. She had to admit, three weeks in her brother’s company had been quite fun. Crowley, once he got over his initial funk(well, not so much got over as ‘forced to interact with people’ by his very stubborn sister) had proved to be a great host, taking her into the village and showing her around. Adam and his gang had taken to her right off, begging her to come play with them at being witches. 

Nights found them drinking their way through Crowley’s rather impressive liquor selection and reminiscing about their childhoods and the mischief they had gotten into. They deftly avoided talking about their parents. “Ran into Bee the other day,” Ana had said one night. They were both pretty well sloshed. 

Crowley  took a large gulp of his whiskey . “Yeah? What’d that fuck want?” Ana took a swig of wine and belched rather loudly before answering. Crowley cackled. 

“Asked me about you, and if you were still as big a fuck up as ever. Tole ‘em you were never a fuck up and that they could go pound sand. You did right to quit that job.” 

Crowley snorted. His former job, as a consultant to several large firms, had been very demanding, and high paying. It had also caused him to have several small breakdowns due to pressure, he had hated most of his fellow consultants(and the feeling had been heartily mutual), and he had almost had a heart attack from stress. He had ended up having a massive panic attack at a board meeting. Bee, his boss, had video called him the next morning and ripped into him, telling him to either “Get the fuck over it or you’re out.” He had quit on the spot, and two weeks later had bought the cottage and moved in. 

Ana was brought out of her memory at the sound of Crowley singing a song. She frowned, trying to remember where she had heard the tune. It wasn’t that he couldn’t sing(he had quite a nice voice) but the song itself was so familiar, and yet she couldn’t quite place it. She racked her brain, and suddenly it came to her. “Tony!” 

“What?” 

“Are you really singing Zippa Dee Do Da?”

Crowley grinned and came into the kitchen. “My oh my what a wonderful day! Got a gorgeous selkie, coming my way!” He was grinning from ear to ear. “Today’s the day, Ana! Aziraphale’s coming home today!”  He did a little jig, and Ana burst out laughing at his enthusiasm. “Come on, we’re going to the beach. I don’t want to miss him when he comes back.” 

“Alright, let me just put the pancakes in something. Hey, what about Artemis?” 

Crowley looked over at the cat perched on the sofa. “Well...you know they don’t get along.” Ana giggled. Crowley had indeed told her about the animosity between the cat and the selkie. “But she’s going to have to learn to live with him, and vice versa. Now come on! Hurry up!” 

They ran down to the beach, Crowley far ahead. “Here. Right here.” He plonked himself down on the sand, eyes fixed on the ocean. Ana sat next to him, pressing a pancake into his hand. 

“Eat.” He bit into it, eyes never leaving the horizon. “It’s lovely out here.” 

“Mmm.” Crowley nodded, then squinted. He shaded his eyes with his hand. A loud whoop escaped him, and he jumped to his feet, waving his arms wildly and nearly crowing with joy. “AZIRAPHALE!” 

Ana watched in awe as a seal with golden fur came barreling to the shore. Crowley ran over, and the seal met him. Crowley threw his arms around the seal’s neck, kissing his face over and over. “Aziraphale, my love...” 

The gold seal nuzzled him, before very gently  pushing him away. Crowley stepped back. The gold seal took a breath, then began to change. 

Anathema gasped. The process looked painful, but she couldn’t take her eyes away. Moments later, a man shaped being stood where a seal had been, the gold skin wrapped around him like a cloak. “Crowley...” 

Ana politely looked away while the selkie and her brother devoured each others’ mouths. 

Crowley felt his spirits lift for the first time in weeks. At last, the waiting game was at an end. 


	10. And Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley and Aziraphale start on the first day of the rest of their lives, and an alliance begins.

Chapter Ten: And Eternity

After Aziraphale and Crowley were able to tear away from each other and introductions had been made(Anathema blushed deeply when Aziraphale kissed her hand like a Victorian gentleman) the selkie and the two humans sat down on the sand. Well, one human sat on the sand. Crowley plopped himself in his selkie’s lap, clinging tightly to him. Ana grinned. “Tony’s missed you.”

Aziraphale cocked his head, confused. “Who’s Tony?” Crowley blushed, sticking his tongue out at his twin.

“I am. It’s from my first name. Anthony. M’full name’s Anthony Jeremiah Crowley. And I HATE my middle name. Much prefer jus’ being Crowley, Angel.”

Aziraphale kissed his cheek. “You’ll always be Crowley to me, my heart. Though Anthony is rather a lovely name.” Crowley mumbled something under his breath. “What was that?”

“Said you’re a romantic sap.” Aziraphale giggled.

“Yes, I guess I am. But I have a romantic sap for a lover, so we’re even.” Crowley somehow blushed even deeper. Aziraphale sighed. “Now, we have some very serious things to discuss. Anathema...”

“You can call me Ana.”

Aziraphale beamed. “Ana. As Crowley is your family, this concerns you as well. I have something for you, my love.” He reached up for the small silver necklace that Crowley hadn’t noticed before. It had a clam shell pendant. Aziraphale took a deep breath, then flicked open a secret catch on the shell. It opened, revealing a beautiful crystal vial about the size of a postage stamp. Inside it was something that glowed with every color of the ocean. “This is Aqua Vitae, The Water of Life. It is one of the most closely guarded secrets of my kind, and only six batches are made every hundred years. It must be brewed when the moon is new, and left to age for one hundred years. We are given it at birth. It’s what makes us immortal.” He took it out of the shell and looked solemnly at Crowley. “If we so choose, we can gift the Water to a human, one whom we wish to spend eternity with. I so choose.” He pressed the vial into Crowley’s hand. Crowley gaped at him. “But you should know, my love, that if you drink, you will remain as you are. Forever. You will stay the same while others around you, even your sister, age and pass on.”

Crowley looked at the vial. “But we’ll be together?”

Aziraphale nodded. “Until the ocean turns to desert.” He looked over at Ana, who was looking thoughtful. “Can you live with this, my dear? With knowing your brother will outlive you?”

Anathema smiled. “I can. You make him happier than I have ever seen him. Drink, Tony.” She grinned. “Besides, it will give you a chance to finally do all that traveling you keep claiming you’re going to do.”

“Traveling?” Aziraphale asked, grinning himself. Crowley nodded.

“Yeah, always wanted to go see the world.”

“Then the world we shall see, my love.”

Crowley beamed, then uncapped the vial and swallowed the contents in one gulp. “Oh! It’s...I feel like I just drank champagne! It tickles.” He giggled, wiggling in Aziraphale’s lap and stirring a certain body part into wakefulness. The selkie gulped.

“I...uh...have something else for you my dear!” He said, voice only slightly cracking. Crowley giggled again, rubbing his face against Aziraphale’s chest much like a cat. The selkie could swear he was purring. With an effort he reached into a pocket in his skin and pulled out the sea lily. “It’s..um..from my flower beds back home. It’s called a sea lily. I...it’s got our colors, see? Red and gold.”

Crowley ‘hmmed’ and nuzzled his neck, still wiggling like an eel. “Why’re you wearing that?” He pawed at the skin wrapped around Aziraphale. The selkie blinked.

“Erm...well, I did not think it would be polite to be nude in front of your sister, and...”

“Should take it off. Should take my clothes off too.”

“Crowley! What in the name of Poseidon has gotten into you?”

Crowley whined and somehow managed to press himself even closer to Aziraphale. “Want you to get into me.”

Anathema, who had been watching the whole exchange while trying very hard not to laugh her ass off, finally got herself under some semblance of control. “Aziraphale, has a human ever been given the Aqua Vitae?”

Aziraphale yelped when Crowley grabbed for his crotch. “Behave! Err...um...well...there’s stories. But not in my lifetime, no. I mean, I know that there’s...that it effects humans a bit different, but...” He yelped again when Crowley rubbed himself against him, whining. “I cannot imagine what this is.”

Ana cackled. “Well, I’m no magic doctor, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say Tony was horny.”

Crowley growled, nipping at Aziraphale’s neck. Ana laughed.

“Yep, definitely horny. So..I’m going to go back to the cottage and do something...not out here. You two have fun!” She stood, brushed the sand off, then headed for the cottage.

Crowley gave a high pitched whine and rutted against the selkie. “Wan’ you...”

Aziraphale blinked, then grinned wickedly. “Oh, do you?” Crowley whimpered, nodding. “Well, never let it be said that I don’t give my lover what he wants.” He lunged, pinning Crowley to the sand. Crowley yipped in happiness. Aziraphale shook himself out of his skin, and Crowley moaned, reaching for him. “Wait, my love. Roll over for a second.” Crowley obeyed, and Aziraphale laid his skin on the sand. “There. Much more comfortable than sand. Now. Off with your clothes.”

Crowley tore his clothes off and tossed them aside, then laid back on the skin, panting and already hard. “Wan’ you...wan’ you to fuck me...”

“With pleasure, my love.”

Anathema looked up from the book she had been reading when the door opened and Aziraphale came in, Crowley in his arms and his skin wrapped around them both. The redhead was grinning like a loon. “Hi Ana!”

“Feel better, Tony?” She asked dryly. Crowley giggled, nodding.

“Yep. We’re going to go um...take a shower. And after, d’you wanna come into town with us? Have dinner?”

“Sounds lovely. Try not to make too much noise when you’re ‘showering’, okay? I don’t want to be traumatized.”

Crowley giggled again, waggling his fingers at her. “Okay! C’mon, Angel.” Aziraphale rolled his eyes in amused exasperation and began heading for the bathroom. “Hey, can we fuck in the shower?” He asked eagerly.

“NOT UNTIL I LEAVE!” Ana shouted. She giggled at Crowley’s moan of protest.

Aziraphale was torn between blushing in mortification and laughing his head off. “Crowley, darling, love, when your sister leaves and we have this cottage to ourselves, I will gladly fuck you against every flat surface there is. But for now, can we please go get cleaned up?”

“kay.” Crowley said, pouting. Aziraphale patted his arm.

“Good boy.”

Ana stayed for another week. During that time, Aziraphale explained that since he had chosen to remain a selkie, he would have to return to the ocean once a month to not only visit his family, but also to keep the favor of Poseidon. “The visits would only be for a few days, a week at most, my love,” he had said to a frowning Crowley. “And you know I will always come back to you.”

Crowley wrapped himself around his selkie. “Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.”

“As I will miss you, my heart.”

That had been two days ago. Now Ana had gone back home(after promising to not tell anyone what she had seen, not even Newt) and Aziraphale, much to Crowley’s very loud and vocal pleasure, had kept his promise to have him against every flat surface in the cottage(except for the stove).

Now they lay in bed together, facing each other as they talked of the long future ahead. Crowley wanted to open a flower shop, and Aziraphale talked about the steps that Uriel was planning on taking to introduce the selkies and humans. “And once the connections are established, we could set up some sort of trade agreement, wherein both species benefit.”

Crowley kissed him. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Yes, but I think it will be worth it. I’m not expecting any of my brothers and sisters to fall in love with humans like I did, but I’m hoping we will finally be able to shake off the prejudices of Gabriel.”

One month later, a crowd of very important people from the village, including the Mayor, gathered on the beach. The mayor looked over at Crowley. “Are you going to tell us now why you were so insistent that we come down here?”

Crowley smirked. “All will be revealed soon, Ma’am. Just look towards the horizon and tell me if you see anything.”

The mayor shaded her eyes. “No. Wait, yes. It looks like...seals! There’s...two of them.” She blinked. “Looks like they’re headed this way.”

A gold furred seal came onto shore, followed closely by a black furred one(clearly a female.) The mayor squawked in surprise when Crowley ran to meet the golden seal, throwing his arms around his neck. “What the?”

Crowley nuzzled the gold seal before straightening up. “Madam, this might come as a shock to you.” He looked over at the others. “If you are squeamish, I’d advise looking away.”

The mayor and the councilors gasped in shock as the two seals began to...change. Several council members turned away, their faces green. The mayor watched, entranced. Moments later, two humans stood where the seals had been, their skins draped over their bodies. The female stepped forward. “Are you the one in charge?” The mayor nodded, eyes wide. The female smiled and extended her hand.

“I am Queen Uriel of the Selkies. This is my brother, Aziraphale. We wish to cultivate an alliance with your people. Would that be amiable to you?”

The mayor blinked, then smiled and clasped Uriel’s hand. “It would be, Your Majesty. Shall we talk things over?”

“We shall.”

Aziraphale beamed as his sister and the mayor went over to where the other councilors were standing. “Good for you, little one.” He looked over when Crowley nudged him. “Yes, darling?”

“Think they’d miss us if we left?” He yelped in happiness when Aziraphale swept him into a bridal carry.

“Not at all, my sweet.”

Crowley giggled as Aziraphale carried him into their cottage.


End file.
